University Business - July 2008 - (Page 42)

C A M P U S H E A LT H Celebrate Every Body Week, held in April, raises awareness of eating disorders within the University of Virginia community. FindingOrderinDisorder College and university leaders are creating a campus culture that encourages students with eating disorders to self-identify and seek treatment. By Alana Klein ATING DISORDERS CONTINUE TO BE AN evergreen issue at colleges and universities. Despite what studies say about the prevalence of eating disorders among college students—some indicate that they’re on the rise while others say they’ve stabilized—many campus health experts say they’ve seen little change in the number of students who have them. They have also observed a diﬀerent trend—a more positive one. They’ve noticed that more students than ever before are seeking treatment for their eating issues. “More students are feeling safer to come forward and receive help,” says Kathleen Malara, director of student health services at Fordham University (N.Y.). She says the campus community has made great eﬀorts to break down the stigma and feelings of shame and guilt that are often associated with eating disorders. Other higher ed institutions are also tackling the issue. To put eating disorders in greater context, about 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States are battling with them, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, a nonproﬁt that supports research for prevention and treatment of 42 | July 2008 E eating disorders. Since college students are considered a high-risk group for developing eating disorders, the incidence among them is likely to be greater than the national average. In addition, people tend to underreport eating disorders, so research based on self-reporting data can be ﬂawed. In the last year, about 2 percent of college students said they have suﬀered from anorexia, characterized by dramatic weight loss and/or caloric restricted food intake, according to The American College Health Association’s annual reference group data report. The association also reported that in the last year 2 percent have suﬀered from bulimia, characterized by binge eating often followed by purging. These ﬁgures have remained virtually the same over the last ﬁve years. What Constitutes an Eating Disorder? There’s no single standard deﬁnition of eating disorders. “People use so many diﬀerent descriptions for eating disorders. If you use the psychiatric way of diagnosis, many individuals do not meet the criteria for having an eating disorder,” says Devdutta Sangvai, universitybusiness.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - July 2008

University Business - July 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Human Resources
Students in Need, Schools at the Ready
Security Officers Speak Out
Advancement Goes Digital
A New Day for NASFAA
Sustainable Admissions
What's New
End Note

University Business - July 2008